Stamping machines



Aug. 25, 1959 H. A. MINTZ 2,900,751

STAMPING MACHINES Filed June 4. 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 /Nl/ENTOR HENRY 4. M/NTZ A TTOR/VEY Aug. 25, 1959 H. A. MINTZ 2,900,751

v STAMPING MACHINES Filed June 4. 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Brag T TOP/VEV Ufl w ew Pat This invention relates to stamping machines and more particularly to such machines as are adapted to' stamp letters on such varied types of devices as hat bands and wallets.

Heretofore, devices of this general type have been devised for a particular purpose, such as stamping hat bands alone, or flat objects, such as wallets alone. Attempts at devising general purpose machines have resulted in complicated and expensive devices with general- 1y. unsatisfactory operation.

In accordance with the present invention, a general purpose machine of this kind has been devised by mounting a rotatable arm carrying the stamping pallet on a novel stand construction adapted to support a hat in the proper stamping position and combining that arrangement with a novel removable wallet supporting plate which permits wallets and similar fiat objects to be stamped with the same stamping pallet. There is also provided a novel stamping foil supporting member which, by a simple pivoted frame, is automatically raised and lowered into the proper loading and stamping positions under the stamping type by the mere raising and lowering of the rotatable arm.

The foregoing and other objects of this invention will be best understood from the following description of an exemplification thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of one form of the novel stamping machine and showing a hat band being stamped thereby;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side view of the stamping mechanism of Fig. 1 showing the stamping arm in raised position with the wallet supporting plate in place to receive a wallet to be stamped;

Fig. 3 is a top view of the arrangement shown in Fig.

Fig. 4 is a cabinet view of the removable wallet supporting plate;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the foil spoo support with a spool of foil shown in cross-section; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section taken along line 66 of Fig. 2.

The machine illustrated includes a base 1 on which is mounted a standard 2 which extends upwardly in a curve overlying the base and terminates in a platform 3. On the platform is formed a pair of bosses 4 between which is rotatably mounted a shaft 5. The shaft is carried by pins 6 received in corresponding bores in the bosses 4. The shaft 5 carries an arm 7 which has formed thereon a branch arm 8 which carries a pallet 9 rigidly secured thereto. The arm 7 is extended to form a handle 10, whereby the entire arm assembly carrying with it the pallet 9 may be rotated about the pins 6.

As shown in Fig. l, a hat 11, having a hat band 12, may be held in the proper stamping position directly on the platform 3 by a spring plate 13 having a generally channeled shape. One end of the channel bearson the platform 3 beneath the shaft 5. The central portion of the plate 13 is held in place under the head 14 of a threaded rod 15, the lower end of which is threaded into the upper side of platform 3. The rocllS itself passes through ;an opening (not shown) in the center of plate 13. To place the hat 11 in proper position, the head 14 is rotated to loosen the rod 15, thus permitting the front end of the plate 13 to be lifted. Thereupon, the band 12 of hat 11 is slipped under that end and the head 14 rotated to clamp the spring plate onto the band :12. The front end of the plate 13 lies sufficiently back of the stamping position to cause the desired stamping to be impressed on the appropriate part of the band 12. Also,

the front edge of the platform 3 terminates in a position to allow the hat 11 to hang freely in the space below the platform provided by the curve of the standard 2.

The pallet 9 is of the type described and claimed in my prior Patent No. 2,591,369 and consists of a type holding block 16 secured to the outer end of arm 8 and carrying any desired arrangement of type 17. As more fully described in my prior patent, a desired line of type 17 is arranged in block 16 and the sides of the line are clamped between a pair of centering or clamping blocks 18 carried by a lead screw 19 whose opposite halves are threaded in opposite sense as they thread through the two clamping blocks. One end of the lead screw 19 projects through and beyond a plate 20 formed on the block 16 and is provided with a suitable knob 21 in order to rotate the lead screw 19. The other end of the lead screw 19 is journalled in a similar plate 20 formed at the opposite end of block 16.

Prior to being clamped between the blocks 18, the line of type 17 is pressed against the supporting surface of the block 16 by means of a clamping bar 22. The opposite ends of the bar 22 are carried by 'a pair of relatively thin plates 23 which are rotatably supported on the pair of plates 20. In this Way the bar 22 may be swung away from the face of the block 16 when it is desired to rearrange the type 17. The bar 22 is forced into clamping engagement with the type 17 by means of a flat stiff clamping strip 24-, one end of which is loosely secured in an opening 25 in arm 7. At an intermediate point along the strip 24 a threaded rod 26 passes through an opening in strip 24 and is threaded onto the arm 8. The rod 26 is provided with a knob 27 which, when the rod 26 is turned onto the arm 8, engages the strip 24 and forces the free end of said strip against the bar 22 to force the bar into clamping engagement with the type '17.

The above arrangement for mounting and actuating the bar 22 and the blocks 18 provides an extremely compact structure which presents a minimum obstruction to the rim 28 of the hat 11 when the stamping operation takes place.

The gold leaf or other printing pigment which is to be stamped on the hat band 12 is carried by a strip 29 of printing foil in the form of a ribbon of paper or plastic coated on its lower face with the desired printing pigment. As shown in Fig. 5, the ribbon is supplied from a spool 30 wound on a hollow tubular paper core 31. The spool 30 is frictionally engaged between the surface of a bracket 32 and a circular metal disk 33 having a circular central plate 34 riveted to the disk 33. The central plate fits snugly into the core 31 to hold it rotatably in place. The rivet 35 which holds the plate 34 in place also rotatably mounts the disk 33 on a leaf spring 36, the inner end of which is bent through substantially a right angle and riveted to one leg 33' of bracket 32.

The free end of the foil 29 which is fed from the spool 30 is led across the upper surface of the platform 3 be.

neath the stamping position of the type 17 and is secured between a pair of intermeshing corrugated rollers 37. The rollers 37 are rotatably mounted in a U-shaped bracket 38'. The inner roller 37 is .mounted on a stub shaft 39 which extends through the sides of the bracket 38. One end of the shaft 39 is extended and is providedwith a knob 40 whereby the rollers 37 are rotated. Such rotation pulls the ribbon 29 against the friction exerted by 3 the bracket 32 and disk 33 and feeds it to the desired degree across the stamping position.

The brackets 32 and 38 are carried at the opposite outer :ends .of a frame 41. The sides of frame 41 are made :up from a pair of metal strips 42 bent into the angular shape as shown in Fig. 3. Adjacent their inner ends, the strips 42 are rotatably pinned to the bosses 4 by the pins 6. A bar 43 extends between the strips 42 a short distance ahead of the shaft and ties these strips together. The ends of the strips 42 are extended beyond the pins 6 and another bar 44 extends between those ends and ties them together a short distance behind the shaft 5. The strips 42 and bars 43 and 44 together constitute the frame 41 which pivots about the pins 6. The bar 44 lies in a position to be engaged by the rear surface of the arm 7 when it is rotated in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Figsl and 2, whereby such action rotates the frame 41 into the position shown in Fig. 2 and raises the foil 29 away from the printing or stamping position.

Before the stamping operation, it is desirable to heat the type 17 to a relatively high temperature in order to secure the proper transfer of the pigment from the foil to the surface to be stamped. For this purpose, block 16 carries an electrical heating element 45 supplied by current from an armored cable 46. Current flowing through the cable 46 and the heating element is controlled by a switch and current controlling device 47 which, in turn, receives its current from a supply cable 48. The cable 48 conveniently may be held in place against the side of standard 2 by a clamp 49.

In order to support a fiat object, such as a Wallet, the removable plate 50, shown in Fig. 4, is provided. This plate has an extended support surface 51 provided with a cut-away portion 52 into which the forward portion of platform 3 is adapted to extend. Beyond the cutaway portion the plate 50 is provided with a pair of arms 53 at the outer ends of which are pinned the ends of a pair of leaf springs 54. These ends are preferably raised above the arms 53 by spacing members 55. By the above construction, a fiat object, such as a wallet 56, may he slipped readily beneath the free ends of leaf springs 54.

For securing the plate 50 in position, it has riveted to its lower surface a generally channel-shaped bracket 57. This bracket is riveted to the arms 53 just behind the cut-away portion 52. A bushing 58 is welded to the bracket '57 at its upper central portion and a threaded rod 59 passes freely through the bushing. The rod 59 carries a bent leaf spring 60, held between a knob 61 at the lower end of rod 59, and a nut 62 threaded onto rod 59. The bracket 57 carries a pair of studs 63 riveted thereto, which studs pass through elongated openings adjacent the ends of leaf spring 60. Each stud 63 carries a head 64 to prevent escape of the leaf spring 60. The platform 3 is provided with a thickened portion 65, usually the upper end of standard 2, into which the outer end of the rod 59 may be threaded. When this is done, the edge of the cut-out portion 52 of plate 50 rests upon a lip 66 formed at the outer end of the platform 3. By screwing the rod '59 into the portion 65, the plate 50 is resiliently, yet firmly, retained in place on the platform 3 so that the upper surfaces of platform 3 and of plate 50 are substantially in the same supporting plane.

When it is desired to stamp a hat band, the arm 7 is rotated into the position as shown in Fig. 2. The knob 61 is rotated to release the rod 59 from the portion 65, whereupon the plate 50 is removed, leaving the platform 3 free to receive the hat 11. The type 17 has previously been clamped in place in the pallet 9, and the block 16 with the type 17 has been heated to stamping temperature. It will be seen that the rotation of the arm 7 has removed the pallet 9 from above the printing foil so that the operator may readily observe that a fresh strip of printing foil is above the stamping position. 'If

necessary, the knob 40 is rotated to pull such a fresh strip into position. It will also be seen that the arm 7, having raised the frame 41, has thus raised the foil 29 so that there is complete freedom to insert the hat band beneath the front edge of the-spring plate 13 and to clamp it in place by the head .14 on the threaded rod 15. As the arm77 .iszrotated toward the stamping position, the face of the type 17 engages the upper surface of the foil 29, which has been pulled taut between the brackets -32 and 38. There is no danger of breaking that foil, since it can move against the friction created by the spring 36. However, since that friction maintains the foil in tension, that foil moves downwardly while Sbeing held in firm engagement with the heated face of the 'type 17 and while thus held is pressedinto stamping engagement with thehat band 12, producing a perfect impression.

Shouldiit be desired to stamp a wallet, it is not necessary to disturb any of the previous adjustments'except that, with the arm 7 in the position shown in Fig. 2, the plate 50 is secured in place, a wallet S6 slipped beneath the springarms 54 and a fresh section of foil 29 drawn into place. Thereupon the handle 10 is actuated to again move the type into stamping position and another perfect impression of the type on the wallet is produced.

Of course, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the particular details described above as many equivalents will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. It is accordingly desired that the appended claims be given a broad interpretation commensurate with the scope of the invention within the art.

What is claimed is:

1. A printing foil carrying means adapted for use in a stamping machine of the type comprising a platform on which an article to be stamped is adapted to be held, an arm rotatably mounted at one end adjacent said platform, a handle at the other end of said arm whereby said arm may be rotated about its opposite end, and a stamping pallet mounted on said arm intermediate its ends, said pallet being adapted to support a line of type, said carrying means comprising a frame member having a pair of outer ends adapted to be located in line with a stamping position on said platform, one of said ends having means for rotatably supporting a roll of ribbon of said printing foil, the other of said ends carryinga pair of intermeshing corrugated rollers adapted to receive said ribbon between them, and means for rotating one of said rollers whereby said ribbon may be fed across said stamping position, said carrying means being provided with pivot means whereby said carrying means may be pivotally carried by said machine adjacent said platform, said carrying means having an extension projecting beyond the pivot means in a direction away from said ends of said carrying means, said extension lying in a position whereby, when said carrying means is mounted on said machine, said extension is adapted to be engaged by the back surface of said arm whereby as said arm is rotated away from said platform said arm engages said extension and lifts said ends carrying said ribbon away from the stamping position.

2. A carrying means according to claim 1 in which the end of said carrying member adapted to support said roll comprises an arm having a surface lying substantially in line with the length of said foil, a disk lying substantially parallel to said arm and carried by a spring member urging said disk toward said arm whereby said roll is frictionally as well as rotatably carried between said arm and disk to enable said ribbon to be stretched across said ends across said stamping position.

Pleger Jan. 8, 1935 Mintz July 22, 1952 

